[Messi]

Hi:

Why do cancer cells exhibit high telomerase activity?

[ramboacid]

In a simple sense, cancer cells divide a lot, and they originate in previous cancer cells which have also divided a lot. Thus the telomeres (protective ends of the DNA) shorten because the last nucleotide of a DNA sequence (3' end of the template strand) can't be replicated by DNA Polymerase. If the cells divided infinitely, the telomeres would run out and the coding DNA would degrade. Telomerase is an enzyme that reverses this process and can regrow these telomeres. Therefore telomerase is essential to the survival of rapidly dividing cancer cells.

[Messi]

In a simple sense, cancer cells divide a lot, and they originate in previous cancer cells which have also divided a lot. Thus the telomeres (protective ends of the DNA) shorten because the last nucleotide of a DNA sequence (3' end of the template strand) can't be replicated by DNA Polymerase. If the cells divided infinitely, the telomeres would run out and the coding DNA would degrade. Telomerase is an enzyme that reverses this process and can regrow these telomeres. Therefore telomerase is essential to the survival of rapidly dividing cancer cells.

Excellent! Thank you kindly.

[Messi]

Where exactly is the telomerase enzyme secreted from?